MIAMI -- The Washington Wizards are just 2-7 on the road. The Miami Heat are 2-8 at home.Anyone have a coin to flip?Yes, the Monday night game at AmericanAirlines Arena figures to be anybodys contest. However, between the two teams currently out of the Eastern Conference playoff race, it is easy to view the Heat as the struggling squad and the Wizards as the club trending upward.The Heat (7-17) are riding a five-game losing streak.Meanwhile, the Wizards (9-13) won their past two games and are 6-4 over their past 10.Washington, coming off a 110-105 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, is benefitting from outstanding production by point guard John Wall, who has 12 double-doubles this season. He produced 24 points and 11 assists against the Bucks.Then again, Wall -- the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft -- is a three-time All-Star in his prime at age 26. His production is expected.What is truly propelling the Wizards in their mini-streak is a small-ball lineup that is closing out games of late.Washington coach Scott Brooks has been sitting 6-foot-10, 245-pound power forward Markieff Morris and replacing him with 6-7, 205-pound small forward Kelly Oubre, and the plan is working.Oubre is seeing late-game minutes with the rest of the starters: Wall; 6-5, 205-pound shooting guard Bradley Beal; 6-8, 200-pound forward Otto Porter; and 6-11, 240-pound center Marcin Gortat.Its a versatile lineup, Oubre told the Washington Post. Its a quick lineup. Its a momentum-changer. I like that lineup a lot.Brooks obviously likes it, too, as that five-man grouping had the second-best defensive rating in the league over the past 10 games (minimum 20 minutes together).It is a small sample size, given how little those guys were out there together. Still, it is something the Wizards can build on.Its something Ive been considering, Brooks told the Post. Im trying to manipulate the game so we can get to that lineup.Part of what makes the lineup defensively is that Porter and Oubre have long arms, and that helps them get their hands in the passing lanes. Oubres wingspan is 7-2. Porters wingspan is 7-1.The lineup is not strong on the backboards, an area Miami may be able to exploit with center Hassan Whiteside. But the Wizards -- especially with Oubre, Porter, Beal and Wall -- are able to switch easily, defusing a pick-and-roll-based offense.Oubre has made great strides in being able to defend multiple lineups, Brooks said. We have to find a lineup that can defend and provide offense.In other story lines:--Udonis Haslem, a seldom-used Heat forward, is back with the team after missing Miamis 105-100 loss at Chicago on Saturday with an excused absence.Haslem, who has played his entire 13th-year NBA career with the Heat, was allowed to travel to Orlando, Fla., so he could see his son play in a state football final. Kedonis Haslem is a 6-3, 290-pound lineman who helped lead Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas to the Class 7A championship.Kedonis Haslem, a three-star recruit, has offers from Michigan and South Carolina among Power Five schools.The idea to let Udonis Haslem see his son play came with the Heats blessing.Hes missed all of his sons (prior) playoff games, senior year, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Haslem. UD (Haslem) has been with us for 13 years. You miss so many so many moments. We felt like this would be a moment that he wasnt going to miss and regret years from now.--Whiteside is expected to play despite some nagging knee and hip injuries. Water Bottle Hydro Flask 24 oz Standard Mouth Pacific . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. Hydro Flask Straw Lid 32 Oz . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. http://www.hydroflaskaustralia.com/straw-lid/40-oz-wide-mouth.html . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Water Bottle Hydro Flask Coffee 12 oz Coffee Lemon . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Hydro Flask Australia . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- If the Detroit Lions needed any reminders of the challenges still ahead, all they had to do was turn on the television a few hours after their victory Sunday.The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys -- Detroits next two opponents -- were playing a tough, defensive struggle that went down to the wire. And yes, Lions coach Jim Caldwell watched.Start to finish, he said.It was another successful weekend for the Lions, who edged Chicago 20-17 on Sunday to remain two games ahead of Minnesota and Green Bay atop the NFC North.The day wasnt exactly perfect, though. The Vikings and Packers both won, and Green Bay did so in emphatic fashion, beating Seattle 38-10.If Detroit loses either of its next two games, the division title could be at stake in the regular-season finale against the Packers.If the season ended now, the Lions (9-4) would be the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but road games against the Giants (9-4) next weekend and the Cowboys (11-2) on Dec. 26 could change all that.And its not just Green Bay thats surging. Tampa Bay (8-5) has won five in a row, matching Detroit for the longest current winning streak in the league.Atlanta (8-5) and Washington (7-5-1) also won Sunday, underscoring how tough the race for the wild cards could be should the Lions fall into it.The big issue for Detroit this week is the health of quarterback Matthew Stafford, whose middle finger on his throwing hand was taped up and covered by a white glove Sunday.Caldwell, who rarely discusses injuries at any length, addressed Staffords status at Mondays news conference before anyone even had a chance to ask.The good thing about it, he was able to finish the game, went through it, and also that hes going to be able to play in the next game, Caldwell said. Hell be able to practice and those kiinds of things.dddddddddddd He feels that obviously he can get it done and also the doctors do as well.Stafford threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter Sunday. The first came off a fluky bounce in the end zone, but the second was returned for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 17-13 lead. Stafford led Detroit back down the field and scored the decisive TD on a 7-yard run.(The injury) affected him some yesterday when it first happened. I think you saw that through the course of the game, Caldwell said. But hes a tough guy, he battled through it and so now we have an opportunity to work with the doctors, get things straightened out that need to be straightened out, and well work through it this week, but he should be ready to go.While Stafford struggled, the Detroit defense played fine against Chicago. The Lions have held seven consecutive opponents to 20 points or fewer.Defensive lineman Haloti Ngata said watching the Giants-Cowboys game was helpful. The Giants won 10-7 , and Ngata could just focus on both offenses, knowing hed be seeing them up close soon.Just keep on winning games, thats all we need to do, he said.Game notes Ngata said the team was happy to have LB DeAndre Levy back against the Bears. He had three tackles and an assist in his return from a knee injury. Its awesome. Levys a player that can do so many things. Im just glad he was out there, even though its only for limited reps. Hes a phenomenal linebacker, Ngata said. Hopefully he can get back to his old self, once he gets a better feel.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL .---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '